Thankyou for your prompt reply to my post. The Maximum Render Quality box in the Sequence settings has not been ticked, so hopefully doing this will be a step forward. I can see that the Direct link would be the way to go, saving all the trials of export settings BUT, it doesn't seem to work. On the Mac, I'm simply getting the dreaded revolving colour wheel. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Sorry for the slow reply. If you export from PP rather than a dynamic link to Encore then again you will have the opportunity to tick that check-box in the output render settings - it is at the bottom of the panel. So make sure you tick it there as well as in the sequence for best results in scaling from HD to SD.

Otherwise I'm not really sure what to suggest. Just export with MPEG-2 DVD from PP and import that into Encore and carry on like normal - right click it and create a new timeline from the file etc and create the disc.

Hi Andrew
I’m coming at you with the dreaded subject: exporting. But before I move on to that, may I thank you for your wonderful Cow tutorials which are certainly the most accessible that I have come across. Without these, I would not be using CS6 at the level which I am now. Short of exporting, that is!

Having graduated from an early Avid to Premiere Pro CS6, mostly because of widescreen and HD issues I’ve recently moved up from shooting and exporting in standard definition (no problems) to high definition (big problems).

I work with community groups and the material produced is burnt to DVD to be played on either a TV or computer. My tests, using a variety of settings when exporting from CS6, have yielded results which are most unsatisfactory.

I’m aware that HD footage will not give full HD quality on DVD but I understand that a quality which is superior to SD is achievable.

Now, I have accessed a considerable number of tutorials on this subject but mostly they deal with exporting for upload to the internet and the ones which attempt to explain export for DVD are frequently contradictory and confusing. I know that I am not alone with this, and neither am I alone in seeking answers which can be digested by those who have little interest in or understanding of technical aspects. I realise that working with digital imaging requires a certain amount of knowledge of these aspects but I believe that even these can be boiled down to something relatively simple.

It appears to be impossible to find information which works at this level and I’m hoping that you might be able to put this to bed once and for all if not directly then perhaps via a recommended book. I’m aware of course, that a set of instructions (that’s really all we crave), which work for one person’s set-up might not work for another but here is a short list of equipment and applications used:
Footage originated on Sony HVR-A1E, set for 1080i, widescreen. Not a new camera, I know.

Edited on Premiere Pro on iMac and exported. Here I’ve tried exporting as MPEG 2 – DVD with a variety of settings and H.264 with a variety of settings.

Have you seen my series of 9 tutorials on Encore here on the COW? These go through the whole thing about dynamic link of the timeline directly to Encore for the best results you can get with the Premiere/Encore DVD work-flow.

Have a look at them and see how you get on. However, CS6 is the last version that Adobe support Encore. Since then Adobe has assumed that no one wants to use discs anymore ... so you won't find Encore in CC!

Obviously, DVDs are standard def .. so you will never get full HD out unless you are working with bluray.

One last thought. Because your footage is HD and DVD is SD, go to your sequence settings and make sure you have the maximum render quality tick box checked. AND, if you get that option for export also make sure you tick it. This is because scaling images down is actually harder for PP than scaling them up and so if you check this tick-box it makes PP do a better job of scaling down.

Hi Lauraine
Sorry for the delay in answering and thanks for your comments :o)

Actually, I think you may have not understood as you can animate, add audio and export all from within After Effects.

As for output resolution, I would advise to choose the same as the footage you are working with. So if you are working with an NTSC 29.97 fps comp you may as well export at that resolution. AE tends to be frame rate agnostic so things should usually be the right length and speed regardless of what frame rate you choose for export but it is good practice to export in the same frame rate you comp in if you can.

As for audio, import it as you would any other asset and put it in your timeline and remember that you can only hear it when you do a RAM preview.

When you're ready to export choose Composition Add to Render Que and go through the settings that come up in the Render Que panel.

Hope this helps, and I will have a think about the other tutorial ideas but the problem is that you can quite often do lots of different functions in different programs so it is hard to say when to use what as a general rule!!!

Newbie here again... While I continue to work my way through more of your tutorials, perhaps you can help me with a couple of things? I'm currently working on an AE template I purchased and have customised, now I need to add audio and publish for use on YouTube. The AE file is 1280 x720, 29.97fps, with a bit rate of 8, which I'm guessing is best not to mess with.

Q1. Does it matter if I produce/output for PAL (24fps) or NTSC (30fps) if the video is predominantly for use on the web? Q2. If I've understood correctly, the workflow for this project should be something like; animate in After Effects, edit audio in Audience (or possibly Premiere Pro (PP) as I'm only shortening the track?), combine the 2 files in PP, output for YouTube via Media Encoder. I hope that's right, otherwise I'm going to have to watch all those tutorials again... ;)

Firstly I'd just like to say how much I appreciate and enjoy your tutorials! They have made my first steps into video production so much more enjoyable, rewarding and waaay less scary - so thank you!!! You clearly know what you're talking about and I love the way you drop in little titbits of information along the way; keyboard short cuts (fab for short cut users like me), personal experience and workflows - excellent, really helpful!

When I started my project I had no idea what steps were involved, or that I would end up using so many different applications (thankfully you cover them all right here!). Although it's not always necessary to use the different applications, as you point out in your tutorials, some are better suited to specific tasks than others - and as the workspaces are so similar, transitioning between them to get the best result is relatively easy. Speaking as a newbie, that would have been great to know from the start. I wonder if you might consider doing a tutorial like that? Nothing in depth, I just think it would be handy to know your thoughts on workflow (from initial idea to final delivery), and which applications you think are best suited to the various stages involved in creating a typical first project, ie creating a video to show on YouTube, or shooting an event to distribute to friends & family', etc. Something like...

I think something like that would be really helpful to a complete beginner like me and would help us focus on the right tutorials for each step of the workflow. Let's face it, learning how to do something the right way, is far better and takes no more effort than learning how to do it in the wrong way :)

Thanks again for all your brilliant tutorials, you truly are a master (Yoda or otherwise)!

Hi Andrew or should I say, Master YODA! It is I- an aspiring young jedi video editor in the works. I have a question for you- If I have footage recorde in 24p and other footage in 30fps, can I combine them on the same time line (sequence) and get the desired results of both? I know you are a busy man. Thanks for all your help... Ian

As far as I remember you shouldn't have any problems :o) see this post to help http://forums.adobe.com/message/3763603 What I believe should happen is that the frame rate of the sequence is respected for output but that both footage types will play back at their native rates inside the sequence so you shouldn't see any time problems.

Thanks Master Yoda!!!!!! I have studied your After Effects tuts and I am now dabbling in your Premiere Pro tuts as well. You are the Master!!!!!!!! I have learned a lot and am only limited by the speed of my system. I have a MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM. Unfortunately the system slows down (and sometimes crashes) depending on the workload. The Warp Stabilizer effect in Premiere Pro takes so darn long!!!! The products are awesome. I am getting more comfortable in the environment after having spent the last 5 years using Final Cut Pro 7. I am just ranting here....haha. Again, thanks for the great tuts and for getting back to me... much appreciated!!!! Chewy